Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates offer higher performance than bulk substrates due to the lower junction capacitances of SOI-based devices and the increased switching speed associated therewith. This performance advantage is enabled by dielectrically isolating active circuits from the bulk substrate (e.g., via a buried oxide layer).
Conventional processing steps, such as oxygen implantation, used to form a patterned silicon-on-insulator (SOI) layer on a bulk substrate may be destructive to the underlying lattice structure of the SOI and the bulk substrate, adversely affecting device performance. Consequently, improved patterned silicon-on-insulator layers and method for forming the same are desired.